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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ground — a position
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. season — of the year
  6. ground — the earth
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — crushed
  15. capital — a city
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — a cup
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mug — a face
  20. chip — to eat
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. capital — money
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com